TRANSLATION
Followers of the Bible should not overstep the bounds of their faith, nor attribute to God other than the truth—Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, is only a Messenger from God and a Word [promise] that He conveyed to her [through angels; see 3:45] and a soul created from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers [Jesus and Mohammad, for instance] and do not say, “[God is one of] three.” Restrain [from such false assertion], as it is better for you. Indeed, God is but One God, and His glory does not include a son but all that are in the universe and all that are on Earth. No one is as worthy of trust as God Himself.
Christ was never too proud to be God’s servant, nor are the Angels who are near to God. Whoever is too proud to serve God and acts with arrogance, [should know that] God will gather them all to Himself. He will then reward fully those who believe and perform goodness; perhaps more out of His grace, whereas those who are proud and arrogant, He will chastise as a consequence of their deeds. They will not find a protector or a helper against God. O People, expressed proof of truth and reality has come to you from your Sustainer God, and a clear light He did bring forth. Therefore, if you believe in God and follow His guidance, He will admit you to His mercy and grace, and He will guide you to His Straight Path.293
They ask you to enlighten them [regarding inheritance law]. Say, “God gives guidance regarding the person who leaves behind no direct heir [i.e. children, parents, or spouse]. If he dies childless and has a sister, she will have one-half of what he left behind; similarly, he will be her heir if she dies childless. But if there are two sisters, they will have two-thirds of what he left behind, but if there are brothers and sisters, then the male will have the shares of two females.” God clarifies things so that you can stay the course. God knows all things.294
INTERPRETATION
293. Pure monotheism is the message that was conferred by all prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. Christians are cautioned here not to distort the truth about Christ, who was a servant of God like any other prophet and any human being, while confirming his elevated stature in human history as a person of exceptional quality and gifts, God’s messenger, and uniquely born unlike any other human being, other than Adam and Eve. True faith and goodness will always be rewarded for any who acknowledge God and follow the Messengers—be they a follower of Jesus or Mohammad or any other prophet.
294. A shift here is made from God, His messengers, and truthfulness in faith to social conduct, whereby inheritance is passed on to the heirs in a way that established a whole new standard of human conduct. This transition is natural, since Islam and God’s guidance is all about faith and goodness; only just and constant reevaluation of social conduct defines the true nature of goodness. At a time when there was no concept of a woman owning or inheriting property, Islam made the bold move to declare that women are entitled to inheritance, and the woman’s share has to be at least half of a man’s share. This was a very prudent and practical course given the existing social construct and evolution of humans at the time. Any change that could only increase the inheritance for women was left for the next generations to consider and implement as a way to challenge them to continue the progress of human societies. Islam introduced the most progressive rules and regulations with respect to human conduct and interactions in all aspects of our lives—family, social, ethical, and political dimensions. Failure of the Muslims, in particular, and other communities as well is that we have not taken these directives into our lives as expeditiously as we could have done. Too many disparities and unfairness continue to exist in our families, societies, and global communities.
REFLECTION
Purity of faith and purity of social justice go hand in hand in Islamic teaching—it is this harmony about faith and goodwill, harmony of the spirit and the physical, the struggle and effort in the physical world to achieve our success in the spiritual world (in the afterlife as well), and so on that are the true essence of faith. The Qur’an constantly reinforces this duality of our existence and the mutual dependence of these two intertwined aspects of our lives. Our success in this world and in the afterlife is directly related to what extent we can achieve harmony of these two commitments that God demands from us for our own good. Not giving women (or for that matter any other individual) what is their due and not exercising grace and justice in our societies is tantamount to disbelief or belief that falls short of the true nature of belief.
ACTION
Our sense of responsibility and accountability should enable us to achieve purity of faith and purity of social justice in our lives. This is worth struggling for and helping others to do the same.